In the July 2014 episode of The 15th Station, Lucy, James and Gavin venture from the sad to the joyous, the sacramental to the sporting, the saintly to the shady. Pope Francis’s meeting with sex abuse victims, the promotion of Baptism for students in Catholic schools and the Pope’s excommunication of the mafia are all covered in this show. The panel also covers the papal World Cup Final — between Benedict’s Germany and Francis’s Argentina — and discusses the efforts that may lead to New Zealand’s first saint. Learn more about the film How Far is Heavenby clicking here.

What podcast in the past three weeks would be complete without discussion of “Four Popes Sunday” — the canonisation of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II by Pope Francis, with Pope Benedict on hand? Not this one, so Helen, James and Gavin lead with that momentous story, and continue the show with discussion of a bishops’ gathering in New Zealand, a meeting between the Vatican and some American religious sisters and an historic meeting of a New Zealand leader and Pope Francis. We also talk about drug trafficking. A typically diverse and entertaining show, we think you’ll find.

To cover possibly the biggest story in the history of The 15th Station, we had to think big. So we went even more international than normal, with Lucy in Asia and Gavin in Australia joining studio-bound James and Brendan to discuss the Pope’s surprise announcement, start a bit of crystal-ball gazing and reflect a little on Benedict’s papacy. The Los Angeles archbishop’s decision to relieve his predecessor of his duties, a milestone Mass in New Zealand and an unusual Catholic school oath also fill a bumper episode — complete with technical difficulties.

The panel kicks off the new year with a debate on the ongoing process of the expected canonisation of Blessed John Paul II. Is it happening too fast? How do we judge that? And what’s the purpose of sainthood? The billboard deemed not to have caused “widespread offence” is also discussed, along with the new reproductive health bill in the Philippines, passed against the Catholic bishops’ wishes. The Catholic ethos of Les Miserables and a wacky petition to have the Catholic Church designated a hate group round of the first show of 2013. Welcome back for the sixth full year of The 15th Station.

The magic of the Internet brings Don, James and Gavin together for this month’s episode of The 15th Station, in which the papal butler’s conviction, the sale of a Catholic school to a Muslim education trust and the German bishops’ ruling that Catholics who stop paying a Church tax can’t receive the sacraments all get a run. That story has us a bit stumped, so this blog post (or this one) can offer a more learned exposition of the situation. We also chat about the changing religious landscape in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, and revisit the evolving story of the fresco restoration fail.

It’s a pretty heavy show this week, with talk the Pope and bishops giving clear instructions on the role of Christians in politics. Brendan and Gavin also talk about the polls and the Catholic vote, the religion of past presidents and the state of the presidential race. The ongoing saga of the Libyan consulate attack and murder of four Americans also gets some attention, especially the administration’s poor handling of the situation, possibly bordering on telling falsehoods to the American public. There is a little light relief after all that; here’s the clip Brendan referenced from Bill Bailey.

The big international stories of the month fell on either sides of Atlantic, with Catholic organisations in the US sue the Obama administration over aspects of its health care reforms while, across in Rome, the Vatican was dealing with a series of documents allegedly leaked by the papal butler. In the Antipodes, Budgets and the ongoing debate about same-sex marriage grabbed headlines. But fear not, we’ve also got our trademark light story for the month.

A new study suggests many young New Zealanders might be becoming more religious while other peers are turning away from faith. Which will win out? The panel discusses that research and analyses the possible impact of Pope Benedict’s trip to Cuba, as well as the semiannual controversial billboard from a prominent Anglican parish in Auckland. We’d love to hear from our listeners, so feel free to post comments with your feedback.

It’s another intriguing episode of Station 15, as we explore the role of bishops in industrial disputes, Jesus’ ability to heal diseases and the Pope’s upcoming trip to Cuba, not to mention one of the most frivolous court cases you might ever hear about. Just another month in the life of The 15th Station.

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The 15th Station is our active monthly news podcast. We get a panel of Kiwi Catholics together to provide a Catholic perspective on the news and current events of the month.

Catechiwi is our archived catechesis podcast where we get a guest theologian from around the country or the world to speak on an aspect of the Catholic Faith.

Ignition leverages our partnerships with organisations like Hearts Aflame to provide a back catalogue of amazing lectures and talks from international speakers. We divide these talks up into multi-part podcasts.